


Budding Artist

by kisslicknipsuck



Series: 2013 adventchallenge [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-03
Updated: 2013-12-03
Packaged: 2018-01-03 09:44:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1068990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kisslicknipsuck/pseuds/kisslicknipsuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you telling me that you left Teddy alone with a box of crayons?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Budding Artist

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt 'Crayons' over @ LJ's adventchallenge for Day 3/25. Unbeta'd.

Teddy was quite the little artist, Severus thought as he watched the child painstakingly scrawl a wobbly cat onto a piece of parchment with a green crayon. Surely getting even the vaguest shape of the animal was impressive for a four-year-old, even if it was green. He briefly wondered if it had something to do with being a Metamorphagus. 

Severus uncurled himself from his seat on the floor beside Teddy and stood, stretching. He was too old to be sitting on hardwood floors with small children. He hadn't wanted to do it, but Harry hadn't really given him a chance to refuse when he'd dumped the child on him a few hours ago, explaining that he still had so much cooking to do and couldn't look after the boy himself. At least Teddy was an exceptionally well-behaved child. Andromeda was raising him right, it would seem. 

As Teddy was completely absorbed in his cat drawing, Severus thought it'd be safe to sneak away for a moment to inform his husband that he hadn't killed his godson yet. And also remind the man that he owed Severus a favor, which he planned to collect that evening in bed, after Teddy and the Weasleys had left—if they ever arrived at all; they were late as it was. 

Harry was kneading bread dough on the kitchen table when Severus found him. He smiled and leaned back into Severus when he wrapped his arms around the man from behind and rested his chin on Harry's shoulder. 

"You're in an awfully good mood," Harry said, continuing with his kneading. 

"Your godson is not as troublesome as I'd imagined he'd be."

"I told you. Andromeda hasn't raised a complete heathen."

"Well, what was I to think when she dumped him here and then left?"

Harry chuckled. "She needed to go buy his Christmas gifts and could hardly bring him along. Besides, she brings him here all the time. He _is_ my godson, you know."

"Yes, I am all too aware," Severus drawled, drawing more chuckles out of his husband. "But he seems to have resisted your corruption and prefers quieter hobbies. He's currently drawing you an absolutely marvelous cat. It looks exactly like Minerva."

"I'm sure it does. He likes to draw; he's good at it," Harry said, laughing. Finished with his dough, Harry set it in a bowl and covered it with a cloth. He turned in Severus's embrace and lifted his arms up to wrap around his husband's shoulders without getting flour all over him. "Thank you for watching him," he said and kissed Severus. 

"You're welcome," Severus said, sighing against Harry's mouth when they broke apart. "Though I do not wish to make a habit of it."

"It was only the once, don't worry." Harry smiled and pecked him on the cheek before moving away to examine something in the oven. "Could you ask Mrs Weasley to come in here for a moment? I want to know what she thinks of this ham."

"She's not here yet," Severus said, enjoying the view of Harry's backside as he bent down to peer into the oven, but then Harry stood up abruptly and turned to look at Severus with an alarmed expression on his face. 

"She's not?"

"No," Severus said, raising a brow at him. 

"Is anyone here yet?"

Severus shook his head and Harry's eyes widened. 

"Are you telling me that you left Teddy alone with a box of crayons?"

Harry didn't even wait for Severus's answer. He kicked the oven door closed and strode into the sitting room, calling out, "Teddy!" as he went. 

Severus followed him and could tell by the way Harry's hands clenched into fists as his sides that something was wrong before he could even see into the room. 

"Oh, Teddy…" Harry said, sounding dejected. "What have I told you about drawing on the walls?"

Severus's eyes widened at that and he pushed his way past Harry into the room to find the walls covered in incoherent rainbow scribbles from the height of Teddy's reach all the way down to the floor. The green cat drawing lay abandoned on the floor, looking as finished as when Severus had left, almost as if Teddy had abandoned it the moment Severus was gone. 

"I’m not supposed to do it," Teddy said shyly as he fingered a purple crayon and guiltily looked down at the ground. 

"So why did you?" Harry asked. 

Teddy only shrugged and Harry sighed. "Do you know what you have to do now, young man?"

Teddy's shoulders slumped. "I have to clean it up."

"That's right, but don't worry," Harry said, turning to Severus with a false smile. "Uncle Severus will help you. Won't you, Uncle Severus?"

Severus scowled at his husband but buckled under the man's gaze after only a moment anyway. It was his fault for leaving Teddy alone in the first place. He sighed and pulled out his wand. 

"Oh, no, Uncle Severus," Harry said, snatching his wand away. "Teddy can't use magic. He has to clean it up by hand." Harry gave him a wicked smile. "And so do you." Using Severus's wand, Harry conjured a bucket of soapy water and two rags. 

"You can't possibly be serious," Severus said, staring at the cleaning supplies Harry was holding out to him. 

Harry's smile was almost vicious.


End file.
